Long-time NRL boss Gallop will complete the set when it comes to administrators from other codes running the FFA.

He takes over the reins from former AFL player and executive Ben Buckley, who followed in the footsteps of rugby union man John O'Neill.

Football's failure to provide leadership from within its own ranks has irked some fans and pundits who believe Buckley's perceived lack of passion for the sport undermined his ability to succeed.

However Gallop’s status as an outsider should not be a problem provided he recognises the need to bridge the knowledge gap, Taliadoros said.

The businessman and co-founder of Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) told au.fourfourtwo.com: “The most important thing Gallop can do is surround himself with knowledgeable, objective advice.

“Based on that, if he's half the administrator we understand he is, his decision-making will be very good.

“I think the key to the success of Gallop is the quality and consistency of the advice he receives because he is applying his knowledge and expertise in a new market, a unique market that has consistently demonstrated that it is so complex it is often difficult to resolve.

“He's coming into the new market as clearly a capable individual. If he can surround himself with good advice and good people, I'd be very excited about the decision-making that will come out of the FFA.”

Taliadoros, said there has long been a desire to see football players continue within the game even after they hang up their boots.

“One of the main reasons the player's association came into existence (in the early 90s), in addition to rights and professionalism, was that players could contribute significantly to the sport,” he said.

Despite that aim, the PFA ignored its own mantra this month by replacing highly-respected CEO Brendan Schwab with another AFL convert, Nick Holland.

In trying to explain the lack of football people in top leadership positions, Taliadoros pointed to the preference the FFA and A-League clubs had shown for executives with superior experience in general sports administration as opposed to specific football knowledge.

FFA chairman Frank Lowy admitted he did not consider any candidates for the top job other than long-term target, Gallop.

Taliadoros, who applied unsuccessfully for the Sydney FC CEO role the last two times it was vacant, said football needed to establish better structured pathways for promotion of off-pitch talent if it was to see one of its own running the show in the future.

“People always point to (AFL CEO Andrew) Demetriou as an example,” he said. “He came through the players' association into the top job. That's a pathway for (former) players.

“Football is such an immature new market. There is an absence of institutionalised, structured pathways. It's all been best guess and work it out as we go along.

“If you assume that people both steeped in the history of the game and with a set of executive skills will make better decisions and be better leaders in football, then absolutely, the game, the clubs, the stakeholders and the incumbents have a vested interest in providing pathways for players at administrative and executive level.

“The players have the knowledge, the interaction with fans and the natural involvement to be able to contribute in a collective way.

“And they care. It matters. Speak to any player and they care about the game, the health of the game and its growth and prosperity. When you're in a job and you're motivated, not only intellectually and financially but also emotionally, that's a pretty compelling proposition for prosperity and achievement."